C Ben Brown (concussion) and S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring) are officially inactive for the Patriots vs. Chargers in Week 17

After nine players were listed as questionable on their most recent injury report, seven are officially active for New England in Week 17. The Patriots’ inactive players on game day are C Ben Brown (concussion), S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), RB Terrell Jennings and G Sidy Sow, G Tyrese Robinson and rookie Joe Milton are the third emergency quarterback.

Starting on offense, the Patriots could have two new starters on the offensive line, with a guaranteed move at center since Brown is inactive due to a concussion. Although head coach Jerod Mayo mentioned two possible replacements for Brown earlier this week, former first-rounder Cole Strange is expected to start at center, while reserve G/C Lecitus Smith will be Strange’s replacement on Saturday.

Since returning to training in late November, Strange has been focused on transitioning to center. Strange played every moment of his career at left guard for New England in his first two seasons. However, according to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and line coach Scott Peters, the Patriots coaching staff viewed Strange as a center coming out of UT Chattanooga. Because of his skills, many others also recognized that Strange would be best suited at center, and NFL teams evaluated him at the pivot during the Senior Bowl in 2022.

Strange will likely make his season debut in a new position and play his first game in over a year. From that perspective, Strange’s athleticism could make him a good center, with his ability to move laterally and handle second-level climbs. The former first-rounder’s smaller interior frame may also be less of a problem at center, as centers are often uncovered on the line of scrimmage and move laterally into their blocks, allowing them to generate power by exploding off the ball. Although there are new challenges for Strange, such as: For example, snapping and making line calls, the idea of ​​Strange as a center in a zone-heavy running scheme is enticing.

The other possible change for the offensive line is at right tackle. On Friday, New England activated rookie OT Caedan Wallace (ankle) from injured reserve. Wallace was placed on injured reserve in early October following the Pats’ Week 4 loss to the 49ers. After being selected with the 68th overall pick in last year’s draft, the Penn State product was originally scheduled to move to left tackle. Earlier this season, Wallace started a game at left tackle in Week 3 in which he was inconsistent against the Jets (three pressures allowed, three penalties).

Since returning to practice earlier this month, Wallace has been practicing at right tackle, where he made 40 career starts at Penn State. Wallace was viewed as a potential starter at right guard before the draft. So giving him some playing time in the final two games would allow the team to evaluate the rookie moving forward. New England would still have to address the offensive line this offseason, but having Wallace step in at right tackle would be a huge development for the tackle-reliant Patriots. And after struggling last week, current RT starter Trey Jacobs opened the door for Wallace to get playing time on Saturday.

One final note on the offensive line is that second-year guard Sidy Sow is a healthy inactive. After 13 games as a rookie, Sow, a fourth-round draft pick, appears to have fallen out of favor with the new coaching staff. The Pats’ current roster places a heavy emphasis on adding rookie fourth-rounder Layden Robinson at left guard, while Sow was also recently replaced by Lester Cotton in an additional offensive lineman/fullback role. Sow was once viewed as a potential long-term starter, but things didn’t work out that way in his second year when he was selected 117th overall in the 2023 draft.

It’s unclear whether it will be Jacobs or Wallace at right tackle against the Chargers. Still, the Patriots’ starting offense on Saturday will look something like this: LT Vederian Lowe, LG Layden Robinson, C Cole Strange, RG Mike Onwenu and RT Trey Jacobs/Caedan Wallace.

On defense, the Patriots secondary will have some missing pieces against Chargers star QB Justin Herbert. In addition to placing starting CB Marcus Jones (hip) on injured reserve, starting safety Jabrill Peppers (hamstring) is inactive for the second straight week, while fellow starter Kyle Dugger (ankle/hamstring) is active despite multiple injuries.

Without the younger Jones at cornerback, we expect the Patriots to utilize the same rotation that limited the Bills’ passing attack to a 64.7% man coverage rate last week. The Pats relied primarily on top CB Christian Gonzalez and second-year pro Alex Austin as outside corners, with veteran Jonathan Jones working in the slot against Bills WR Khalil Shakir. Jones had an outstanding game in coverage of Shakir, holding the Bills’ leading receiver in man-to-man mode with a catch for 12 yards. LA presents a similar matchup with their top receiver Ladd McConkey also playing in the slot.

Although the corners are similar to last week, a big part of the Patriots’ game plan that slowed Buffalo involved Jones getting rushing or post safety help while shadowing Shakir. The Pats need veteran Jaylinn Hawkins, second-year safety Marte Mapu and undrafted rookie Dell Pettus to step up without Peppers. Dugger will likely be the starting free safety, with Hawkins, Mapu and Pettus playing man coverage on LA’s tight ends and closing down the middle of the field as raiders.

Mapu, a 2023 third-round draft pick, is another interesting developmental player. The Pats safety had an eventful game last week. He made two splash plays with the ball with an interception and a pass breakup while recording two hurries. However, Mapu was also in the game on a 46-yard touchdown run by Bills RB James Cook and was tackled at the one-yard line as he made an interception return out of the end zone. Mapu’s versatility and playmaking ability are intriguing, but he has been inconsistent. Mapu would be a useful role player if he made it.

In theory, the Patriots can use a similar game plan against the Chargers after their success in man coverage against the Bills. However, the Pats’ faltering run defense faces a big test. LA is still an aggressive passing offense, but their passing game is based on their running game, with the sixth-highest run-action rate in the NFL (Run+Play Action, 60.6%). The Chargers also like to operate with strong personnel, with the fourth-highest two-back rate (18.6%). Since head coach Jim Harbaugh wants to be a physical team, you would expect the Chargers to run the ball often.

While the Chargers want to secure a spot in the playoffs with a win, the Patriots want to play the role of spoilsport on Saturday. Although a win would hurt New England’s draft positioning, it would help that regime stay on track for two competitive games against AFC playoff teams. Hopefully they can carry this momentum into the 2025 season.

The Patriots host the Chargers with kickoff Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.